The Bolder Thing To Do
by Summerica
Summary: The memories of the failed Accession are still fresh in Albel's mind, and now he is asked to assist in the capture of the Marquis. Will he be able to put his past aside in order to save his planet? An indepth alternative to the game's story.


**Disclaimer**: _I, Summerica, do not possess ownership of "Star Ocean: 'Till the End of Time" or the rights to any of the game's characters. This fan fiction was written for entertainment purposes only and is an utterly non-profit affair._

This kicks off a fan fiction revolving around the character of Albel Nox. The plot adds far more depth to the part of the game concerning the capture of the Marquis. Admittedly, it does slightly deviate from the original story, but I believe the characters stay true to their personalities. As of now, I am focusing on Albel's character development more than pairing, but who knows where my muse will lead me. This is my very first fan fiction, so I appreciate any comments you might have. Ah, but I ramble; you would rather be reading about our favorite red-eyed swordsmen. Ayez à lui, mes chéris.

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He tried to block out the laughter, the all-encompassing nightmare that never failed to precede the fiery hell that threatened to surround him. As the boy screamed one incoherent prayer after another, the voices toyed with him, cackling and spraying burning embers as he looked for an escape. Suddenly, a black specter rose up from the flames.

"Why did you kill me?"

The boy tried to respond, but had inhaled too much of the smoke and doubled over in a violent cough. Specks of blood hit the ground and sizzled under the intense heat. Finally, the boy struggled out a few breaths. "N-no, father—"

"Silence! My son would never be such a worthless fool."

"FATHER!" The boy stumbled forward and tried to reach out his arm to grab the ghost, but it vanished and was replaced by the figure of a massive dragon. The boy heard the laughter and screamed as the dragon opened its mouth...

"—Errand for you, boy."

Albel's head snapped up. His whole body braced as he prepared for the oncoming flames, only to realize it had just been another dream. Silently cursing he opened his eyes and started to recall his current situation, which was not too much better than the nightmare. Thanks to that damned Vox, Albel had spent the past few weeks becoming acquainted with all new forms of pain. His murderous thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Albel!"

"What?" His response was automatic as he focused his piercing eyes on the elderly man in front of him. The sight of Woltar's face filled Albel with anger. The old man had not been present when Albel was charged. Not that Albel _needed_ his help, it was just... These thoughts made the swordsman uncomfortable, so he decided to push them for them moment and focus on the conversation.

Noticing that he finally had Albel's attention, Woltar continued. "You have been given a mission to accompany these people to the Urssa Lava Caves." He paused to gesture towards the corner. "Upon the successful completion of this task, you will be acquitted of all charges."

Albel scowled. He loathed the idea of being an escort almost as much as those caves. Furious at his situation, he let his eyes slide over to the corner of the room. At first, he thought that the combination of rage and lack of food had caused him to hallucinate, but no matter how he stared, the figures remained.

"What are those scum doing here?"

Woltar smiled and said, "I said 'you will be escorting them.' Did the Inquisitor damage your head, boy?" He folded his arms and softly added, "I believe you've already become acquainted."

He could not believe what he was hearing. "They're _Aquarians_!" Albel leaned forward as far as his chains would allow, until his face was inches away from the smirking Storm Brigade captain. "You've gone senile, old man," he hissed. "Those maggots are the enemy!" He thought he heard a scoff coming from the blond man in the corner, but ignored it.

Woltar stood his ground. "The situation has changed during your imprisonment. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Airyglyph and Aquaria are currently observing a truce."

"_What_!?" Albel's eyes narrowed as his head swam with the scenarios that might have led to such an act, but each seemed more ridiculous than the last. He could not imagine that Vox could possibly allow such a thing. "That warmonger actually agreed to a truce?"

"Vox... is no more."

Albel raised an eyebrow. So the bastard finally got his dues. The swordsman felt some small regret that he had been unable to do the act himself. He had been wanting to relieve that man of his life for as long as he could remember, but he knew Vox would never agree to a duel, and outright killing a high-ranking member of the Airyglyph government probably would not bode well for Albel's future. _Though_, Albel thought, _it would seem to play out that way regardless._ He wondered who dealt the final blow as he looked over the party in the corner. The blue-haired one immediately cast his eyes to the floor. Albel sneered and said, "Did _they_ kill him?"

The elderly man sighed and shook his head. "While they did engage Vox in combat, the killing blow was dealt by another."

"Who? If not them, there's none in the world besides myself that could defeat Vox."

"You're quite right. They are not of this world."

Albel's thoughts ground to a halt at the inane statement. It certainly made some of his ideas sound saner. The only thing he could do was laugh. "So you really _are_ senile, old man." It made him wonder, though. The appearance and mannerisms of some of the people in the corner had been bothering Albel ever since he first met them, and now there was another strange member in their midst.

"I can hardly blame you for reacting that way. I'm not sure I believe parts of it myself." Woltar paused for a moment before continuing. "But boy, believe this. A powerful new army has appeared in our midst, and it is unlike anything we've dealt with before."

The seriousness of Woltar's expression unnerved Albel. He would not lie about military matters, but... "People from another world?"

Woltar frowned. "Why would I make this up? In any case, without the help of Aquaria's new weapon, we will not stand a chance."

"Bah. What do the caves have to do with it?"

"We need something to carry the weapon. That's why you must go and tame the Marquis."

What little color was left in Albel's face quickly vanished. "That monster!?" Hell if this wasn't _worse_ than his nightmare. As the former heir of the Dragon Brigade, Albel had been educated enough to know that the Marquis was not a dragon one "tamed." The smirk growing on the old man's face was starting to piss Albel off.

"The way you brag of your skills, I would think the Marquis would prove no match for you." Woltar held up a key and said, "Am I wrong, Albel the Wicked?" The older man released Albel from his shackles.

"Rotten old man." Albel stretched and massaged his good wrist.

"I bet your father would gladly have risen to the challenge."

Before he could control himself, Albel snapped around and grabbed Woltar roughly by the shoulders. "That's enough," he said, his voice barely audible. He let go and stepped back, angry that he let the statement affect him so much. He swept the hair away from his eyes and let his hand run through it. "You make it all sound so simple, old man."

"It is simple. If you fail, everyone is doomed along with you. No more Airyglyph, no more Aquaria... the world will be wiped clean."

Albel scoffed and closed his eyes.

Woltar turned to face the group. "Well, everything seems to be settled." Turning back towards Albel, he added, "Try to get along."

"Bah." Albel brushed past everyone and navigated the dungeon's halls until he came upon the stairs. He scowled at the sleeping guardsman and debated giving him one of his lectures, but decided showering was a higher priority. Also, he wanted to cover more ground before those Aquarian maggots could catch up with him. Albel grabbed one of the standard patrol cloaks off the hook and made his way up to the main level of the castle.

Albel was accustomed to taking the less populated halls of the castle, so he managed to make the journey to the washroom without too much unwanted attention. He still felt humiliated at being imprisoned and was in no mood to deal with any sort of conversation pertaining to it. The swordsman snatched the towel from an attendant and proceeded to the hot spring area. Albel crouched down and studied his reflection.

Behind the greasy hair, his eyes remained sharp and expressive as ever, but there were large purple circles underneath them and a prominent cut across his left cheekbone. His clothes hung from his body like the tattered skin of a leper. Disgusted, he stood up and started to remove the armor on his left arm with a skill that can only be acquired from years of practice. After carefully setting the gauntlet down, he stripped off the ragged remnants of his clothing and unwound the wrappings in his hair. Stepping into the water, Albel winced as the bath salts stung his fresh cuts, but otherwise he adamantly ignored them. They would eventually fade into fine white lines that no one else could see, just like all the other ones.

Albel set his mind on automatic as he washed away the grime of the dungeon. After he felt clean enough, he climbed out of the bath and dried his dripping hair before wrapping the towel around his hips. He realized that he had forgotten to bring down a clean outfit and the idea of getting back into the old clothes seemed unappealing at best. Scoffing, Albel threw on the cloak and grabbed a dry towel before heading out.

His room had been cleaned since the last time he was there. Albel figured Woltar had probably been the one to request it. That bastard, what was he thinking? He balled up his dirty clothes and threw them at the wall. The sharp clang of steeled boots hitting stone echoed throughout the room. Albel sat down on his bed and started to dry his hair more thoroughly, but sighed and put down his arms. He stared out the window at the foggy peaks of the Traum Mountains and tried to think of some way to deal with the situation.

What could he possibly do?

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Trying to remember all that game dialogue bored me to death, but it was the quickest way of setting up the story. Minutes after I finished this chapter, my friend Jay pointed out that someone had typed out the game's script already, which annoyed the hell out of me, but not much I can do about it now. Hopefully the story will get moving in the next chapter, because personally I want Albel in action rather than moping about his room.


End file.
